Hair-drying apparatus



Aug. 28, 1923.

E. M. ERB

HAR DRYING APPARATUS Filed Jan, e 2 Sheets-Sheet 1V a. suitably Patented Aug. 28, 19.23.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

EDMUND H. ERB, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 MERIT MACHINE MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

y HAIR-DRYING APPARATUS.

Application led January 6, 1922. Serial No. 527,390.

To all whom t mag/convent:

Be it known that I, EDMUND M; ERB, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Jersey Ciltly, in the county of Hudson and State of ew Jersey, have invented certain nevi;r and useful Improvements in Hair-Dry ing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates in general to air supplying system for distributing compressed air in either a hot or cold condition through a number of outlets in a building and where each outlet is under the control of an operator.

The invention finds a. specific application in hairdressing establishments Where it is desired to supply either hot or cold air at will in regulated amounts at all times under v the accurate control of the operator for the purpose of drying hair 'rapidly and etlicently. In such establishments it is highly desirable for economic reasons to generate the large amount of compressed air necessary to supply the different outlets in such an establishment from-some powerful air compressor, which is most conveniently located in some remote part of the building, such as the cellar or basement.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple form of con,- duit structure, the major portion of which can be incorporated as a structural part of the buildin and which can be connected to disposed compressor and to provide different branch conduits leading from the main conduit built into the building wherever such branch conduits are desired. Itf is usual in hair drying establishments to provide a 4portable air heater and fan fromv which extends a flexiblel tube for directing the air onto the persons head. Such constructions have not proven commercially satisfactory for the heated air hasnot been produced economically and the air rapidly looses its heat as it passes through the flexible conduit thus necessitating an abnormally large heating device which must bev reheated every time it is used.

Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide a means for heating the 5 air just as a is being discharged .from the nozzle and in this way effect an economy in the use of the electric or other heat producing energy used.

Broadly, I attain this phase of the inven-4 tion by positioning an electric heater in the discharge nozzle at the end of the usual flexible air tube and to position the same as close to the discharge end of the nozzle as is phgsically possible.

uch constructions are subjected to rough usage and while it is herein suggested that the heating means be positioned in the nozzle, on the contrary the present disclosure features the positioning of all other parts which may be readily damaged in fixed position conveniently accessible to the operator but forming no part of the movable element of the air conduit.

Still featuring economy in the use of energy especially Where electric energy is used, the invention features@ form of heater in the nozzle which will permit a substantially free passage of the air therethrough and lat the same time will constitute, in effect, a heating screen positioned across the bore of the nozzle and disposed so that all of the air must pass in close juxtaposition to hot parts of thevheating screen and thus insure a heating of all parts of the air'just before it is discharged.

The invention has as further objects ceri tain other dideratums, for instance, the ready demountability and thus accessibility to interior parts for repair and substitution, and the perfections of a type of manually actuated control which will selectively give either hot or vcold air, or intercept the air flow, and which will at the same time visually indicate the status of the control elements. i

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious ifrom an inspection ofthe accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the `following particular description of one form ofmechanis'm-embodying my invention, and theinvention also consists in certain Vnew and novel features of construc-y tion and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the .accompanying drawings:

Fi ure 1 is a view 1n vertical section of a hair ressing booth forming part of a building and showing a 'preferred embodiment of the invention installed therein;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view taken axially through the dischargenozzle shown in Figure 1; f g 1 Figure 3 is a view of they nozzle lookin at the samev from the right" hand side of igure 2' Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4`4 of Figure 2 looking in the directionindicated by the arrows.

Figure 5 is an axial sectional view taken through the valve casing shown in Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a similar view of the elbow which constitutes `an .extension of the .lower end of the valve casing shown in Figure 5; and l v Figures 7 and 8 are l detailed views in side elevation of two positions of the rotatable element of the indicatorsliown to the left of Figure--5. f

In the following description and in the claims, partswill be identified by specific names for convenience of expression but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as theart will permit.

In the drawings and referring particularly to F ifure 1 there is show-n a booth 10 outlined 'on one side by a wallll constituting a structural partof the building. A main conduit 12 is housed within the outline ofthe wall and it is' to be understood that this conduit leads to a suitable air compressor (not shown). The main conduit 12 is of sufficient capacity to' supply the desired number of branch conduits two of which,

13 and 14, are shown in Figure 1.

Particularly describing the branch con? duit 13 it is noted that it comprises a fixed tube 15 leading from the conduit 12 within the wall, to the exterior of the wall, and to the upper end of a valve casing 16. The branch conduits and thevalve casings are fixed to the wall.

The valve casing is provided with an air controlling valve or damper 17 mounted. on a control rod 18 which extends across the bore of the casing and projects at opposite ends from the casing. The -valve casing 1s provided on one side with an integral extenslon 19 in the form of a ring concentrically disposed relative to the rod 18 and constitutlng a housing for the barrel-like rotatable member 20 off an indicator. element 20 is secured to the adjacentpro- Jecting end ofthe rod 18 by means of a set 'screw 21. The member 20 is provided on 1ts periphery with certain indicatin characteristics such as the word hot as s own in Figure 7, or cold as shown in Figure 8,

or the word ofi to indicate the position of,

the valve 17 and ofthe switch for controlling the heating' means 22 hereinafter described.l

The oppositel end of the valve rod 18 is provided, exteriorly of the casing, with a clutch This indicator` `element 23 which is designed to be engaged electric energy through electricv leads 29,v

and from the switch extension leads 30 pass through an opening 31 in the lower part of the casing and extend to the housed heating device 22 as hereinafter described.

The part of the branch conduit below the valve casing is formed of an elbow 32,'the upper end or bell 33 of which is rotatably mounted for movement about a vertical axis in the lower end of the valve casing and contacts with a rim 34 formed on the inside of the valve casing. The elbow is held demountably and rotatably in place by 'means of a securing rod 35 which passes upwardly through a spring seat 36Vformed on the lower side of the elbow and has its upper end threaded into a cross bar 36 which extends the elbow, bears at one end against the seat 36 and at the opposite end against a head 40 formed at vthe lower endof the rod 35. The other bell 41 of the elbow has a horizontally extending tube 42 secured thereto. It .will be apparent from this construction that the tube 42 may be rotated in a horizontal plane into any desired operative position or ma be swung out of the way against the wa l. The free end of the branch conduit is defined by a nozzle 43 and a flexible tubular section 44 preferably an armoured rubber tube, connects the outer end of the tube 42 with the inner end of the nozzle 43. By this construction it is apparent that the nozzle can be moved aboutthe persons head so as to direct the air at different angles thereto-in the manner suggested by the showy The heater inthe flexible section of a circular mounting ring or wheel 46 which has a snug fit in the shell; and is secured thereto by inset screws 47. The ring includes a ldiametrically extending bridge piece 48 the center of which is enlarged to form a hub 49. The hub 49 constitutes a support for an axially positioned conducting rodA 50, insulated from the hub by means of insulating bushings 51. Oneend ofthe rod extends from the ring towards the flexible section and forms a binding post 52. The bridge 48 also carries a similarly' mounted binding post 53. The opposite end of the rod 50 adjacent thedischarge end of thc nozzle is provided with a head 54 secured to the rod by nuts 55 which also act as a binding screw. A plurality of flat plates 56 extendradially from the rod 50 as shown in Figure 4, are positioned be-` tween the mount-ing ring 53 and the head 54 as shown in Figure 2 and are each of triangular form as shown in this later figure. The free edges 56 of each of the plates are provided with longitudinal spaced notches 57. A heating conductor 58 in the form of a wire having high resistance is connected at one end to the binding post 53, is wound spirally and in the form of a cone about the edges of the plate from the mounting ring to the head. The outer end of the'wire 58 is connected to the binding screw 55 and the circuit is completed back to the binding post 52 through the conducting rod 5() which for this purpose is formed of metal. It is notedv that the conical formation of the heating wire spaces the turns of the wire not only along the length of the conduit considered axially of the shell as shown in Figures 3 and 4 but also spaces the turns when oonsidered radially of the axis as shown in` Figure 2. In this way air spaces l59 are formed in the screen which may thusbe considered as extendin entirely across the bore of the shell. I n t is way there is provided a free passageway for the air but all parts of the air will necessarily come in contact with or `pass relatively close to some part of the hot wire before the air is passed from the nozzle.

By means of the device disclosed it is possible to equip the entire hairdressing establishment with a System of air conduits, all of which can be Supplied from a single suitable air compressor disposed wherever desired in the building and at the same time each operator can maintain an individual control at each of the outlets.l If cold air from the main conduitis desired the manual control is simply manipulated to shut olfv the heating device and to open the air valve. i As the air is not heated until it is .aboutto be used, conduction and convection heat losses have been minimized and it is even possible to bring the heating device inthe nozzle into close relation to the part to be dried or heated thus attaining a/direct heating effect, etherwith or as a substitution for the heating effect of the air.

As the switch is fixed in place and thus not liable to be thrown around .with the flexible part of the device an expensive form of control switch may be utilized without fear of it being damaged by careless use during the hair drying operation. The several exposed parts can be readily separated for it is-in-/` tended that the switch can be removed bodily from the valve casing; the indicator may be withdrawn from the valve rod by opening the housing and loosening the fastening screw; the rotatable elbow may be dropped away from the casing by loosening the connecting rod; the nozzle may be drawn off from the fiexible section; and theiheating insert'in the nozzle may be readily removed by loosening the screws 47. vAs the leads 30 from the -switch are lcontained in the flexible section, all loose parts are eliminated and in general the whole construction is designedl A tutions and changes inthe form and details ofthe device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the lnventio'n. v

Having thus described my invention, I claim: v

1. In a device for supplying cold and hot air at will to different places on a persons" head to dry and cool the same, the combination of a. sup ort constituting a structural vpart of a bui ding, a main air conduit incorporated within said support' and carried thereby, said main conduit constituting a reservoir of compressed air and adapted to be connected lto an air compressor in a remote part of the building, a plurality of branch conduits leading from said main conduit to the exterior of said support, one of said branch conduits including a movable discharge nozzle adapted to direct air about c the persons head, a fixed tube secured to the support and a fieXible tubular section providing communication between the movable nozzle and the fixed tube` an air valve in the fixed tube for controlling the air flow through the branch conduit, electric heating means in the nozzle and a manually actuated means mounted in fixed position adjacent the air valve for simultaneously controlling the air valve and the electric heating means. i

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a support, an air supplying conduit secured at one end to the support, provided at the opposite end with a mov- `able nozzle and including a flexible section between the nozzle-and the end secured to the support, an air controlling valve in 'a fixed part of conduit, heating means in the nozzle and a single manually actuated control for both the valve and heating means. g 3. In a device of theclass described, the combination of a support, a conduit constituting a iixed reservoir of compressed air carried by the support, a movable nozzle, av

flexible tube connectingthe source and noz- 4zle, heating means 1n the nozzle and movable therewith and a. control means carried by the support for controlling the heating means.

4J In a device of the class described, the

combination of a reservoir of compressed air, a movable discharge nozzle, a flexible tube'connecting the nozzle with' the source,

heating means in theconduit, an air controlling valve'in the conduit and a control for the heating means and valve. l

5. In a device of the class described, the

3Q combination with a support, a main conduit constituting a reservoir of compressed air carried by the support, a. branch conduit leading from the main conduit and terminating in a discharge nozzle, a valve for controlling 'the How of air through the branch carried by the support, a branch conduitV leading from the main conduit and terminating in a discharge nozzle, a valvefor controlling the flow of air through the branch conduit, means in the branch conduit for heat-in the air as it Hows therethrough and manua ly actuated means carried 'by the support for controlling the valvularmeans and the heating means.

7. A flexible conduit adapted to be connected at one end to a reservoir of air under compression and having a discharge nozzle at the Vopposite end, electric air heating means in said flexible conduit adjacent its discharge end, an air valve for controlling the flow in the conduit, an electric switch for controlling the heating means and a single control for both the valve and switch.

8. In a device of the class described, the

,air at will.

. 9. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a reservoir of cold air under compression, of a flexible conduit leading therefrom, means for heating the air as it is discharged from the conduit, and a control for selectively intercepting the. flow, or for discharging either hot or cold air at will and an indicator operatively associated with said control for indicating the character of air being dischar ed.

10. In a device of the c ass described, the combination 'ota conduit, an air valve mounted therein and includin a control rod projecting inopposite directions from the conduit, an electric heating means in said conduit, an electric switch for controlling said heating means, said switch being operatively connected to one of the projecting ends of the control rod wherebyvthe turning of the movable element of the switch will turn the valve, and an indicator including a movable element connected to the other projecting end of the control rod.

11. Inj-a ldevice of the class described` the combination of a conduit, an air valve mounted therein andk includin a control rod projecting in opposite directions from the conduit, an electric heating means in said conduit, an electric switch for controlling said heating means, said switch being operatively connected to one of the projecting ends of the eontrolrod whereby the turning of the movable element of the switch will turn the valve. y

12. In a device of the class described," the combination of a conduit, an air valve mounted therein and includin a control rod vprojecting in opposite directions from the conduit, an electric switch operatively, oonnected to one of the projecting ends of the eontrolrod whereb the turning of the movable element of Vt 1e switch will turn the valve. 13. In a device'of the class described, a valve casing provided with extensions on opposite sides thereof, an indicator element mounted in one of said extensions, a valve in the casing, a valve rod extendin across the casing and connected at one en to the indicator element, the opposite end of the rod provided with a clutch element, an electric switch carried by the other extension and including a control member provided with a clutch element adapted to engage the clutch element on lthe end of the valve rod.

1,4. In a device of the class described, the

l combination of a valve casing, 'provided-with an upstanding bore, a cross bar extending lll across the bore, an elbow constituting an ex; tension of the casing with one end telescop- 1n the lower end of the valve casing said elgow being readily removable from the casing to provide access to the interior of *the valve casing, anda securing rod passing upwardly through the elbow from the underside thereof and engagin said cross bar, and a cushioning spring lisposed between the elbow and the exposed lower end of the securing. rod.

v 15.In a device of the class described, the combination of a valve casing, provided with an upstanding bore, a cross bar extending across the bore, an elbow constituting an extension of the casing with one end telescoping the lower end of the v'alve casing said elbow being readily removable from the casl in to provide accessto the interior of the va ve casing and a securing rod passing upwardly through the elbow from the underside thereof and engaging said cross bar.

`to said heating means.

16. In a device of the class described, an airconduit provided with a discharge nozzle and including a flexible conduit leading to the nozzle, electric heating means in the form of a screen extending across said nozzle for heating the air adjacent the discharge end of the conduit and electric conductors housed in the flexible conduit and leading 17. In a device of he class described, an air-conduit provided with a discharge nozzle and including a flexible conduit leading to the nozzle, electric heating means in said nozzle for heating the air adjacent the dis! chargeendof the conduit and electric leads housed within the flexible conduit 4Jfor supplying electric energy to-the heating means.

Signed at New York in the county of New York'and State of New York this 21st day of December A. l). 1921.

EDMUND M. ERB. 

